Getting softer and more spread of lights

Elmy

Elmy

Well-known member
So I'm DPing an upcoming short, I will have use of 2 1k ARRI's, 4 650's, 1 350, and a bunch of random clamp and work lights. Little to no extra "accessories" like flags, c-stands, scrims, ect. due to no real budget. However we are big with DIY. I love hard lighting however I'm trying to just get spread and softer lighting in most these scenes and I've noticed with just straight fresnals the lighting is obvious quite hard. I have found techniques to reduce it but I was wondering if anyone knows of maybe some specific techniques to help, maybe something to replicate what a soft box can do for example...I have gels and other things to "reduce", but thats about it.

Oh and the reason we have these lights but no real budget is these are things we've accumulated, and its such a small project that I don't really want to be tossing much more money at it at all.
 
Get a grip/PA to hold a piece of foamcore and bounce off that. Get two grips/PAs to hold a bedsheet in front of one of the 1ls.

The obvious way to increase the softness of the light is to bounce it or diffuse it. I bounce off a nearby wall or other source. Or diffuse with whatever you can find. If you've got the budget, go to the fabric store and buy some window shade material, some Muslin, and some artificial silk. Then go to town making diffusion or bounces.
 
or grab a few frosted shower curtains at the dollar store and build a pvc frame to post it on in front of the lamp
 
I found this post on Creative Cow showing a guy who built a pretty good DIY 4x4' diffusion holder: http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/47/857324


Here's a picture:
frame.jpg


And you can pick up ripstop nylon for not too much: http://www.beaconfabric.com/vindex.html?cat54.htm
 
Bleached muslin. Pump as much light through that as you can to get a big soft spread. Not only will it soften the light really well, but you'll get a great quality of light as well. Not many people think about the quality of light they are putting out, but there you go.
 
one of the biggest revelations I've had regarding lighting is that you almost never just point a light at your subject. If you're not diffusing it through something and bouncing it off something else and cutting it with something else you're probably not thinking about it enough.
 
djkarn105 said:
one of the biggest revelations I've had regarding lighting is that you almost never just point a light at your subject. If you're not diffusing it through something and bouncing it off something else and cutting it with something else you're probably not thinking about it enough.
Click to expand...

Well, the way I like to look at it is that when you are pointing a light directly at your subject, that's for a specific look. Just like when a camera is still. So many first time filmmakers will put their camera on a tripod and never move it. In most movies, the camera is almost always moving and a still shot is really for a specific effect.

Same thing with direct lighting. Don't be afraid to do it, just know that it has it's place and that place is never "always" :)
 
right, i dont mind direct lighting but this isnt the time to use it, I just don't think I'll get a good enough effect with bounce. thanks for the ideas. The shoot is in a few days hopefully I can whip something up.
 
China balls with Eiko 105w CFL's work great just be sure to gel them, or if no China balls are available try a Ikea Melodi 19272.
 
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